FFX and the Art of Drabblism
by N.T. Embe
Summary: A collection of drabbles focused on SquareEnix's Final Fantasy X. - Dance party anyone? 8D Drabble 14 is UP!
1. A Change of Clothing?

_**DISCLAIMER! If this layout looks familiar, it is because I have copied it from peroxidepest17. It is not my own format.**_

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**1.**

**Title:** A Change of… Clothing?

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 693

**Warning(s):** Erm… excessive cleavage involved?

**Summary:** How Tidus _really_ passed the time while on the Pilgrimage.

**Dedication:** My two best friends, Sheryl and Lyla, for coming up with this… _unique_ game.

**A/N:** They really do play it with me… keeps people entertained in class.

----

How could they not complain? His legs were _aching_. They'd been traveling for hours already, and the light changes in scenery along the lengthy road had proven only barely more interesting than the light occasional trail of dust the heels of the rest of the party left behind them.

Sure, chocobos would have provided a great mode of transportation… had they not been nearly as terrified of Kimahri as they were of the blasted Chocobo Eater they'd taken care of the day before. Therefore, riding was out of the question.

"Ugh, come _on_ guys! Can't we just rest for a little while? Please?" Tidus' plea was duly ignored, for the hundredth time.

Oh, for Spira's sake, couldn't they just have left the Ronso behind?

Without the slightest turn of the head, the blonde at last received a reply. "Be patient, we're almost there." Tidus scowled at the back of Auron's head, lightly checking himself before looking curiously and with slight hope to Yuna. Even she seemed weary.

"Hey, come on! Yuna seems tired. Right, Yuna?" He made a quick shushing motion, raising his finger to his lips and hissing silently. Yuna only blinked in quiet amusement and hid a smile.

"Oh, Sir Auron, I am feeling a bit worn out. Couldn't we possibly rest here for at least a little while?" Her gentle voice was music to the blonde's ears, though Auron's quiet, broken only by a terse nod of consent, was the most beautiful thing he'd witnessed all day. Which mildly disgusted him, but he pushed that aside hastily.

"Awesome!" And then he planted himself on the grass at the side of the dirt road, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Soon the party had settled down alongside him, and already night was coming on.

Grudgingly coming to the realization there were no woods nearby to build a fire from, they sat there in quiet silence, eating their rations and content enough to listen to Lulu chastise Wakka after he'd made a comment about the way she dressed.

"We don' want Yuna growin' up thinkin' she can dress like that, yah?" The orange-haired guardian must have been more worn out by the day's travel than he had let on. Otherwise no one whose head was on right would have picked up something like _that_ to argue with _Lulu_ over.

Or maybe the man had just lost it after Luca. Who knew?

More importantly, who cared?

"Wakka," she bit off sharply. Tidus winced at the sound and ripped up a couple of long stems of grass, finding himself weaving them furiously into a ball to try and block out the black mage's voice as best he could. "You know very well that Yuna can decide for herself how to dress, and even so, what is wrong with my outfit?"

The man blushed and stammered an unintelligible response before falling completely into mutters that only succeeded in bringing a deathly quiet scowl to the woman in question's lips. "Wakka, I have dressed this way for quite a long time. You should have said something before if it had bothered you so much."

Wakka attempted to find his tongue, though all that slipped from him before Lulu cut him off angrily was a feeble, "But…!" Tidus fumbled with the ball of grass in his hands, now over an inch-wide, trying as best he could not to make a sound, whether it was a snicker or some other note of embarrassment.

"Enough, Wakka! I don't want you to bring this up again, do you—." Tidus gripped the ball a touch to hard and it flew from his fingers, sailing between the circle of them all and sailing down Lulu's… ahem… boob crack.

Everyone's eyes were locked there for a good moment as the silence pervaded, not even the crickets making a sound.

Tidus gave a nervous cough, and everyone hastily averted their eyes, not a one of them without a red face.

"…see Lu?"

Nothing at first. Then…

"FIRAGA!"

Everyone was too busy attempting to douse the flames on Wakka's screaming person to notice just how the woman removed the little ball of grass.


	2. Musical Mornings

**2.**

**Title:** Musical Mornings

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 376

**Warning(s):** Uh, pointlessness and cuteness?

**Summary:** Sometimes mornings are the most entertaining times of the day. Really, they are.

**Dedication:** My friend Lyla and her odd morning noises.

**A/N:** I have no idea why I wrote this one, only that I thought it would be quite cute. It started out as one idea, and before I knew it… well… this was what I got. Enjoy?

----

There was a whole world to cross, big cities to see and islands to travel through and from. But more often than not they would find themselves tracing their way along the old route of every summoner's pilgrimage through the wilderness. Whether it was traces of the endless Mi'ihen Highroad, or across the Moonflow and into Macalania, still there were times when they would find themselves…

Sound asleep, upon whatever took the place of the ground, and enduring a chilly night that gave no comfort. It was not something that most who lived in luxury could easily get used to. Yet even Tidus seemed to adapt to the harsh terrain with nary a complaint… when at last he was asleep.

Or so Yuna noticed, looking over the resting party with quiet wistfulness. Why she could not sleep was beyond her in her drowsy state.

Because she could not sleep didn't mean she wasn't tired. Dead weary and without a hope of rest tonight, she was beginning to think. With a soft sigh that was barely heard, she lay down again and turned over onto her other side. Perhaps this time she'll be sleepy enough to actually be taken into that dreamland beyond her reach.

She soon felt her eyes fluttering closed at last, deep and thick, calming and warm was the void she was at last being drawn into.

At a light touch, a squeak of surprise slipped from her lips and she hastily sat up in her bed to notice that it was only Rikku nuzzling up against her in her sleep. With a heavy sigh of relief and weariness, she lowered herself down again and calmly accepted Rikku's unknowing presence against her back.

When dawn woke her, or, honestly, Auron woke her, she sat up and stretched her arms out over her head, letting out a happy gurgle.

The others gazed at her oddly for a moment, she too sleepy yet notice, until at that moment Rikku shot up from where she lay and squealed loudly.

"UGH! NO' S' EARL'! GO 'WAY FLUFF—," came the sleep-drunken protests from Tidus who flopped over in another bed opposite the two girls.

Alright… so mornings were a bit odd for the group, to say the least.

----

**What do you think? Review please! I take ideas and requests! I even take complaints! So go on, leave a review. It'll only be a moment, I promise you. 3**


	3. I Moved

**3.**

**Title:** I Moved

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 480

**Warning(s):** _Spoiler for what happens at Kilika!_

**Summary:** Tidus moves on.

**Dedication:** My sister Michelle, for making the decisions in life that I know she'll realize were the right ones someday.

**A/N:** This one isn't supposed to be funny. It's a more serious look into Tidus' mind.

----

It was not long before all thoughts of 'Home' were wiped clean from his mind, left desolate like the fearfully still waters of Kilika after Sin had left it in ruins. In that quiet wake that lasted just for a moment, the breathless spell after so many things dear were suddenly swept away forever. This is where Tidus had thrown his bittersweet memories of Zanarkand.

Unholy how it spread so wide, so thick like a splayed hand of a grown man coming down to rest upon the map, claiming beneath its purposeful, greedy flesh a continent of a city. Like a chemically unstable arachnid that had left its web, glowing always from the toxic wastes that coated its nest, roads twining here and there, twisting and gliding over and around anything and everything.

You couldn't take a step too close to the edge of the walkways for fear of a racing vehicle riding up along the curb and clipping you. After sending you down to the pavement that still managed to seem more welcoming than the faces that would pass by as though nothing had happened, what then?

It was a chilling place ever emitting light from the flames of passion that burned in the hearts of those who dwelled there. Oh, there were blessed things too. The parks of children and the Blitzball games that would ever draw any rivals together as they watched the Zanarkand Abes grind the guests into nothing more than the dust that settled only to be swept away by the tides.

There were glorious things in that place. There were luxuries beyond anyone's wildest imaginings. Nothing was able to fall under the term impossible, and so many tore the meaning out of the dictionary.

But nothing compared those fancies and passions to the soft, delicate world that he had been cast into. This was where the only animals that people owned were those that were a part of the family, not some exotic and breathing trinket for display. People took the time to walk places and ride chocobos, these creatures unheard of and gorgeous in their speed and life.

Here children played everywhere, and though sorrow was ever present, that made the joys all the more wonderful… all the more precious.

So many contrasts between these two worlds. And the oddest thing he came to realize was that when he had had everything in the world that brought an eager light of pleasure into his eyes, nothing satisfied him. But here when sadness romped as freely as the children in their grassy surroundings, here he found something that would bring a more tangible light into his eyes and a happiness that settled right inside his chest.

So, no. Tidus did not notice in the least when he left behind his world for this one.

Here he found the true meaning of the word Home.

----

**Thanks for reading! Liked it? Please leave a review! They are really appreciated.**


	4. Their Water Boy

**4.**

**Title:** Their Water Boy

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing:** Light Yuna/Tidus.

**Word Count:** 726

**Warning(s):** _Spoiler for what happens at the Mi'ihen Highroad and afterwards!_

**Summary:** Tidus in the rain.

**Dedication:** To God, for letting it rain through last night and putting me to sleep with this story idea.

**A/N:** I had fun with this one. Heehee. Sexy Tidus Sorry boys had to do it. Just read through to the funny part below.

----

Ceaseless veils dancing everywhere, like curtains fluttering here and there. They were just… everywhere, reaching into every smallest part of the uncovered world.

"Is it still raining Yunie?" It was the wistful whine of Rikku's voice that drew the summoner from her silent captivated gaze that stared out the window, watching the ongoing rain. It had been raining for the better part of what was now the second day, and everyone seemed to be getting more or less restless and cramped from staying indoors for so long.

Yuna nodded, not being able to speak as she let out a yawn quickly stifled by a hand.

From behind her Rikku had begun to give a whine which was cut off unnaturally by a laugh that had become familiar to them all. Tidus lightly ruffled the blonde's hair before bouncing forward to look out the door as Yuna had been doing for quite some time now.

"So it's still raining," he said as though he could care less. Yuna gazed up at him curiously, but his blue eyes were shining with a light that she could not figure out.

Almost as though he knew she were watching him, at last he turned down to look at her, his smile personal, something she could not understand or partake in, no matter how she wanted to. Without another sound, or another moment shared with the lady summoner, he was moving through the open door into the downpour.

She made a hesitant sound of surprise, watching as he walked away and into the rain without a glance back, stepping easily through the grasses that were sleek and dark from this relentless watering. Without her knowledge, she was captivated.

Walking across the muddied road, from Rin's Travel Agency towards the edge of the wide Mi'ihen, he stood where so long ago she had sat and recorded her final farewell.

There was something that she could not see upon his face that made him smile softly, something that she was sure she had rarely seen him do. He was a brazen person, not one for gentleness sometimes. But looking through the curtaining rain, she wondered if she was looking at something she could only see through this fitful shroud.

With grace he crouched down and soon had himself upon his belly, facing the waters that seemed to go on and create a hazy horizon that one could never be sure existed. Folding his arms he rest his chin lightly up them, that smile ever there upon his suddenly and frighteningly tangible lips.

Many thoughts wrought themselves in her mind at this. Fears for his health, questions of how that could be comfortable, what brought about this sudden step into a raging downpour?

Timelessness was not a factor she had taken into consideration when her bi-colored eyes had followed questioningly after the man. But soon she did not know how long she watched him, as he lay there, eyes just barely open and staring out over the waters, distant and depthless.

But then he slid his arms forward beneath himself and flipped himself over carelessly, stretching visibly in pleasure. Soon he propped himself up from the ground, pushing himself up with his arms locked behind him, his head uplifted and eyes closed.

He seemed to lay there forever, in quiet rhapsody, just breathtaking. There were a few stems of grass upon his clothes, one or two on his sculpted chest and perhaps one more she could just make out on his cheek when she tilted her head.

"Yunie! Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Oh! Nothing Rikku!"

"Then come help me tell Wakka that bananas are NOT poisonous!"

"They are, I tell you! Look at the color, yah? Green!" The orange-haired man put in furiously. Apparently bananas were not native to Besaid…. Who knew?

"I'll, umm, be there in a moment Rikku!" But her words were lost in their feverish argument. Yuna smiled and turned back to glance outside one last time. Tidus was on his back, arms splayed out in a content manner. Her smile grew a touch wider at that sight and she stood up and went to help Rikku teach Wakka that bananas were indeed not poisonous.

Their water boy missed the whole thing when some time later he brought up the same thought and was furiously opposed by Rikku once more… and Wakka.

----

**Whoo! That was fun! Did you enjoy it? Leave a review even if you didn't! Thank you for reading!**

**Jinjer: You don't know how nice it is to get someone who reviews, even just to leave an "I'm waiting for the next one". So, I already dedicated this one, but I'm going to have you in mind in the future. Thank you!**


	5. Sleepy Time Solutions

**5.**

**Title:** Sleepy Time Solutions

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** If you really look, a slight bit of Lulu/Wakka.

**Word Count:** 487

**Warning(s):** None really.

**Summary:** What helps them all sleep so well when they're traveling?

**Dedication:** My father, who does everything he can to make it harder for me to sleep… without knowing it.

**A/N:** Heehee… this one's gonna be another funny. Hopefully. Chuckles I don't know how to write funnies. I'm hoping I'm doing a good job. CoughcoughREVIEWcough

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Most nights, sleeping wasn't that hard. Everyone would be more than sufficiently worn out from the day's travels, constantly fighting to protect their truly precious summoner from a manner of fiends and other threats. Sometimes they would go further, and then there were the days when travel was practically and literally impossible.

So they bedded down that night, having gone a good ways along Moonflow and resting just upon the other embankment. It was a clear night, so there was no need for any tents or other sort of cover.

And as a matter of fact, they were all so worn out that Lulu, usually one of the last to go to bed, fell asleep first upon her bedding. Soon the others were all drifting off to sleep one after another or a couple at once, but regardless, before the first star came out they were all deep in their dreams.

Until suddenly an aggressive rumbling roar of sorts echoed out and startled the two younger girls from their rest, Rikku feverishly reaching for her knives and scurrying over to Yuna's bed.

"Yunie! What is that?" she whispered frantically, her voice more than a little unsteady from fear and the panic of being woken in the middle of sleep. The deep, grumbling growl of sorts was heard again and the two girls clung to one another, wondering how on earth the others could sleep through this.

At that moment it seemed, Lulu stirred in her repose and opened her eyes, narrow slits of irritation that were almost tangible to the two, and yet provided a sense of relief. Lulu always knew what to do. She was looked up to by the only other two girls that were in their party. She was the one who would deal with this.

As the noise came once more, the sound bouncing off the trees, the two girls leapt to their feet and raced over to her, their whispered fears overlapping one another as they asked the older woman to help them.

Lulu sighed and shook her head somewhat, lifting a hand to touch her temple before lightly she stood up, shedding the other two who took to each other now. Without a glance back or a word said, she slipped over towards the road they were to follow and paused besides Wakka's sleeping form.

Without a word she pulled her arm up to her shoulder before sweeping it out above Wakka's sleeping form. The girls heard her mutter something, and as she got back and calmly pushed them towards their own beds, she muttered a soft apology.

"I forgot to cast Silence over him."

And then she fell into sleep, leaving the two girls to deal with _that_ on their own. Oddly enough, they woke up that morning more tired than they were the day before, but the constant silent giggles behind Wakka's back got them through the day's travel.

----

**Yeah, okay. That one didn't seem as funny as I thought it would be, ah well. Review? Pretty please? I'll write better Laughs**


	6. Living, Breathing, But Not a Memory

**6.**

**Title:** Living, Breathing… But Not a Memory

**Rating:** PG-13 - 'Cause o' one curse. Jus' one.

**Pairing:** Well… if you _really_ look… a very light Wakka/Tidus. o.o

**Word Count:** 343

**Warning(s):** Well… nothing as far as I can see.

**Summary:** Wakka's brother.

**Dedication:** To the reincarnation that never came for me. …I've come to realize… I'm glad it didn't.

**A/N:** I said I'd do fluff… and then I wanted to do funny… and I got this. This, whatever it is. I'm not sure I like it… but well… I'll let you decide in the end. Sorry for not doing laughs Jinjer! But I'm glad you liked my last one.

----

He'd never seen water on his face before. He had never been a Blitzer… not like him, no. Wakka was the one who would always venture willingly into the waters surrounding Besaid Island, while his brother stood on shore and called out to him to come back.

'_Stop cheating, Wakka! You know you're not allowed to swim, just like you said I can't climb! Not fair Wakka!'_

A faint memory, made all the more clear by the face suddenly brought up in a more recent recollection. The face was the same, unlike his in some slight ways. The eyes were bigger, less narrow like they had come to be from years of Blitzing. The jaw was less defined, more like his brother's as well. Even the build, when finally he came onto land from the oceans, was the very image of Wakka's brother.

Maybe it was a foreign concept to Lulu, that this could very well be the reincarnation he'd been hoping for… if he could have nothing else. Perhaps that was wrong… he was not that selfish, in truth. But glancing at some of the slightest things the young man did… couldn't he sometimes wish?

There was enough sadness in the world, and everyone hoped for something to come and replace their long lost stipulations and warmth.

A laugh caught his ear and the Besaid-born man jerked his head up out of his thoughts. The blonde's bright flash of a smile caught his eyes.

"What's this? For once Wakka's not the first to dig in? Suit yourself!"

Already time to eat? Wakka shook his head slightly, an enigmatic smile hidden for the breadth of a moment it existed. And then he was on his feet and coming to the table set for them.

"Hey, cut it out ya! I was jus' thinkin' 'bout something. And you, you're gonna take that back!" He tousled the hair of Zanarkand's star player and set himself to the task of eating.

"Yeah, yeah! Sure Wakka," came the familiar retort.

_I's still a pretty damn striking resemblance._

----

**Well, there you go! Ah, and small side note… the _I's_ that I put in there is purposed. Wakka talks like that, if ever you didn't notice.**


	7. Marriages are Just Disgusting

**7.**

**Title:** Marriages are Just Disgusting

**Rating:** PG-13 – Cursing. And cause… Seymour's in it. That should be reason enough. ..

**Pairing:** Yuna/Seymour. -Shudders-

**Word Count:** 476

**Warning(s):** EWWW. Yuna and Seymour! SPOILERS! Oh, and some OOCness.

**Summary:** What if Yuna had _wanted_ to marry Seymour?

**Dedication:** To Lenne Tinane123 and CypressDahlia, who really wanted to see this pairing, and so I wrote it. I can't believe I actually wrote it.

**A/N:** This at first I didn't want to do, and I was planning on not doing, as a matter of fact. But then when I thought about it, I really wanted to try. So, well, here I go! And please don't kill me for this. And one more thing, I don't give a crud about the timeline. Tidus has his wicked awesome Celestial weapon and I don't _care_ what anyone else wants!

----

Fire was dancing from beneath his feet as he grinded down the chain, twisting and leaping over from one of the lines to the other, dodging the shots that were fired right through them, hitting the airship they'd vaulted from. It ended all too soon, with a leap above the guards' heads and onto the red carpet, with nary a chance to slow down.

Quick now! Grab the sword at your side, dance away from the gunshots riddling the ground just by your feet, and slash left. A familiar howl of pain from a senseless puppet of Yevon's, and he had already downed three more by the time the thought was finished.

Behind him, the others were putting on nothing like his display, though Lulu's Reels created quite the fireworks display to back his performance. Stab straight, leap up onto the thick-headed guard's chest, free Caladbolg from his belly and dive forward again.

"YUNA!"

He was suddenly frozen, all his momentum diminished in one swift moment. The others stopped behind him, and he let a breath hiss through his teeth as Seymour pulled Yuna into a kiss. "YUNA!" He called out again, a slight whine to his shout. Oh, he was going to kill that Yevon bastard of a Maester.

Alright… so that kiss was lasting a lot longer than he'd thought it would. Holy! What a greedy bastard that Seymour was.

…okay, something was wrong here. "Yuna?" This time the name was heavily laced with hesitance and uncertainty when it was spoken. "Yuna?"

At last the newly wedded couple broke apart, Yuna's eyes shining with a wild, lustful light. It sent chills through the Blitzer, and he gulped nervously, strangling out the summoner's name one last time.

Yuna at last turned to him, light confusion on her face soon replaced with blissful ecstasy, though Tidus had a sinking feeling that it was not because of his grand appearance.

"Oh Tidus! You came to see our wedding! Isn't it just absolutely wonderful? Honey, honey," and indeed she turned with a swish of purest white to Seymour, who had a satisfied smirk on his lips. "You invited them to our wedding and didn't tell me? Oh, thank you! This is a wonderful gift!"

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I didn't invite them, my dear," Seymour said gently, stroking her cheek with the back of two fingers. She sighed dreamily and giggled lightly, shaking her head as though she refused to believe that.

"Seymour, you're too modest," she said, fawning over him, her bi-colored eyes never leaving his. "Isn't he just wonderful Tidus?" Yuna turned to look to the blonde, only to find he was gone from the place he was standing in before. "Tidus?" She blinked and looked around, soon finding him…

…splayed out over the edge of the railing, vomiting.

Oh yes… hero to the rescue indeed.

----

**Tada! I hate this one. I really do, just to let you know. But hey, it was a request and I really tried. Even if it was SO OOC. Oi.**


	8. It's Honestly the Oddest Thing

**8.**

**Title:** It's Honestly the Oddest Thing

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 511

**Warning(s):** None.

**Summary:** Lulu's dolls.

**Dedication:** To Jinjer, for being my first reviewer ever. Thank you so much m'dear!

**A/N:** jinjer: Well, I find it very freaky. But that's just me personally. tprg: Well, I'm glad that you are enjoying them! And yes, I know the last one was freaky. I'm so sorry you had to read that. Laughs

----

None of them really knew what it was about her that made this smallest thing seem so peculiar. After all, it was the only thing out of character that she ever did without a second thought. Mind you, it was kind of frightening to witness at times. And then again, you found yourself wishing you could laugh, if only it wasn't _her_ who had been doing it.

Was it how the lightly purpling lips, which rarely broke into a smile, always seemed the home base for every critical and droll comment to be sent at any and every one of them? Or perhaps it was how she was adorned with such a commanding outfit, the black of leather clinking lightly beneath the long skirt, and the colorless fur that she kept shrugged just off her shoulders, settled there like a regal crown.

Everything was power, cold and quiet, calculating and something classifiable only as her truest character.

And then she went out and fought, stepping forward just slightly, eyes of a startling dark ruby, though one was hidden behind glossed ebon hair, glinting with wintry intent. Raising a hand, she brought it sweeping down, the light crackle or hum all that made a sound as a stroke of purest lightning whipped down, lashing at her foe. And then that same hand came to settle back at her side, while all along her other rested dormant, for she needed only one arm. And her other arm was crooked, smoothly gathering to her belly…

…a Moogle plushie.

Okay, wait… what? Settled quite comfortable in her arm is indeed an adorable moogle, though why in Spira Lulu has a moogle will ever be a mystery. And her collection spans further than just the occasional fire wielding moogle. She has several cactaurs, mogs, a Cait Sith or two, and her celestial weapon the Onion Knight, all of them walking bundles of cuteness. With big eyes, soft and huggable material that makes little girls giggle and the older ones squeal, it makes everyone double-take a few times just to make sure that they weren't seeing things.

Rub your eyes, shake your head, splash some cold water on it, blink a million times and squint yet again at the black mage, but it's still there. That bundle of utter adorability is still there.

And never does she bat an eyelash, or raise one of her elegant eyebrows in dangerous inquiry of why they stare. She simply moves on, uncaring of how the world stares or what they think of her.

And perhaps that's what grants the black mage such respect in the eyes of all of Spira, rather than the fame gained in traveling with a summoner and holding the honor of being her loyal, sensible guardian. It's about breaking the expectancies of the world, and not bothering to show them why it is she escaped their stereotypical restrictions. It's about upholding what your beliefs are, in the midst of a world of oppression.

Then again, maybe Lulu just has a soft spot for those little guys.

----

**Tada! I'm not sure I'm too pleased with this one. I like it, but I feel I sorta lost the feel for it towards the end. Anyway! Review please and thank you**


	9. Indecision

**9.**

**Title:** Indecision

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** Light Yuna/Tidus if you really look.

**Word Count:** 498

**Warning(s):** _SPOILERS FOR BEVELLE!_

**Summary:** Yuna's first aeon.

**Dedication:** To Lyla, my oldest friend.

**A/N:** I felt very solemn while writing this. Very thoughtful and quiet. So it's not meant to be anything funny, not really. Tidus' POV.

----

I remember when I first saw her step down those stairs, the light trickle of sweat gliding from beneath her brown hair. Why was praying to some icon something that would result in such weakness? Wasn't prayer something like reassurance? Something to lift you up and give you strength? I couldn't understand why someone like her would stumble and perspire from prayer, even though she'd been in there for over a day, as Wakka had said.

I mean, come on. Like I didn't stay up for a good fifty-six hours that one time after the game back in Zanarkand? A day should be nothing for her! Though I half would expect her to have fallen asleep in there and gotten all the rest she needed. 'Cause who is seriously going to spend all that time praying? Right?

…I didn't think it was stupid to think like that back then.

But there was something I had not seen then. Like a girl standing in a circle of sorts that had absolutely no purpose to me, and twirling a staff with some foreign and symbolic design crafted at the top. Then the air shimmered, and there was something odd when you looked through it. I squinted and strained my eyes, but it was still as though I was looking through… some transparent thing, something that bent the air—and suddenly there was white etched into the air, a glyph they called it, and a light broke away from no where and rocketed into the sky.

Where above that missile of light headed, suddenly it burst open, wings, a curious long tail and neck. In the heavens there flew a huge bird with religious rings and a sheen that would dull the brightest pearl. And in that moment it dived down from the heights, settling before this summoner girl.

I hadn't seen at that time, the way that this magnificent, frightening creature had alighted before her, had crooned under its breath in pleasure at her presence and companionship. I had not seen the way that it stepped forward to press its head closer to her hand and the soft light that shone in their eyes.

I had not seen the gleam of purpose in her eyes, the light of hope and love that settled in one of blue, one of green, as she closed them and fell from the highest point in the world, that edge on Bevelle. And my heart stopped, only to come to life when that dark flash burst through the pale glyphs etched into the air and caught her, the same light in its eyes that I had seen before bi-colored ones closed.

I hadn't seen then the way Yuna would rush up to Valefor with her hand out to touch the aeon's chiseled head. Nor how Valefor eagerly pressed itself into that caress, only to leap into the sky in a moment and destroy whatever had come to threaten its summoner girl.

I hadn't seen anything.

----

**I really think that Tidus came to realize this over time. To appreciate the strength and compassion that Yuna had in herself. And I know that each of her aeons was something special to her… so I wanted to show it.**

**On another note, I'm sorry for how long this took me to update. I've been busy, as usual. But I've finally gotten it up! In time for a new week.**


	10. Nonplussed

**10.**

**Title:** Nonplussed

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** None.

**Word Count:** 452

**Warning(s):** None.

**Summary:** Tidus' first chocobo ride.

**Dedication:** To Cloud Strife. Because he's my chocoboy and he knows it! D Even if Tidus' hair looks more "chocobo" than Cloud's. I just like picking on the people I love. 3

**A/N:** Teeheehee. I couldn't help it. I've been in such a good mood as of late, that I just HAD to scribble down some kind of silliness or other.

---

"Nope! You can't make me!"

Wakka groaned and looked close to tearing out his hair. "Ahh! I can't stand this any more! Get ya butt on the chocobo, or we leavin' you behind!" An accusatory finger was pointed at the large yellow bird, who looked content to stand there being feed Gyashi greens all day long from out of the summoner girl's hand.

"There's no way I'm getting on that overgrown chicken! You've got to be out of your mind, Wakka! " Tidus grimaced at the bird and backed away from it a step further if only to make it clear that he would not be swayed. "Besides, there's no way Yuna would let you guys leave me behind!"

Yuna blinked. "Uhmm…" Why did Tidus have an uncanny knack for dragging her into such things? "I really wouldn't, but aren't we wasting even more time by just simply standing here and arguing?"

Lulu sighed, and her narrow glare sparked with irritation as it settled upon the spiky-haired blonde. "Haven't you already seen chocobos several times since you've begun traveling with us? You didn't seem to have any such qualms about them before."

"THAT!" He raised a solitary finger in the air. "Is because I was looking at them. NOT being forced to RIDE them."

Auron grunted, his face blank, turning away from the group. "Crybaby," he murmured clearly enough for everyone to hear before mounting his own chocobo.

Tidus' jaw went slack and you could see the flush of embarrassment rising high upon his cheeks. "What did you call me, old man? Huh? Hey! Hey, I'm talking to you Auron!" The silent guardian didn't even acknowledge him, instead coaxing his chocobo into a stately strut.

Tidus clenched his teeth and shot off after the departing figure. "HEY! AURON! GET BACK HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" But Auron's only response was to mutely urge his chocobo to trot gaily ahead.

And Tidus was having trouble keeping up. He was huffing and puffing, but he couldn't close the gap between them at all. He kept going until at last he collapsed onto the soft, grassy turf of the Calm Lands with a final exaggerated sigh.

He was faintly aware of several other giant yellow blurs passing by him without much noise other than that infuriatingly pleased "Kweh"ing. But one such figure paused by him for just a moment, and he was certain he heard a curious squeaking sound, as though from wheels in need of oiling.

In the end, Tidus didn't have to ride a chocobo.

But you couldn't say he was exactly pleased in being drawn along behind one, sitting in a creaky, little red wagon made for five year olds.


	11. Well, That Was Illuminating

**11.**

**Title:** Well, That Was Illuminating

**Rating:** PG for comic violence! YAY VIOLENCE! X3

**Pairing:** None! Bohohohoho. XD

**Word Count:** 849

**Warning(s):** MOTHER NATURE APPROVES OF MY VIOLENCE. :D Kekekeke~

**Summary:** And then they reached the Thunder Plains.

**Dedication:** To all my dedicated fans! I'm sorry, for keeping you waiting for MORE than a year now. D; I hope this is going to be only the beginning of many, many more of these fics. ;3

**A/N:** Summer is heeeeere! Happy me, happy me~! *Twirls and dances and frolics!*

- - - - - - -

Oh boy. This was going to take forever.

"Oooo, I hate this part! Yuuuuuunnnniiiiiieeeee!" the feeble, miserable whine broke through, piercingly oppressive as the blonde Al Bhed clung—trembling—to the summoner, her brilliant green eyes widened in a plaintive gaze. She looked like a puppy with its tail between its legs, and every time one of the others casually took a step further away from them, leaving their youngest member further behind, Rikku took it like a kick to the gut.

"Stop complainin', yah? The soonah we get through the soonah we get out." Wakka called out, having stopped further ahead in the rocky tunnel leading out from Guadosalam. He crossed his arms, as though he himself was getting tired of putting up with waiting for the girl.

"If you don't come along, we're leaving you behind," Lulu's contrite, calm voice carried from deeper down the tunnel, the woman completely out of sight, Auron also already far ahead. Only Kimahri still lingered in sight, loathe to let Yuna out of his view.

The one who was taking it the worse, however, was definitely Tidus. He had no idea how Yuna was able to stay so calm with a half-terrorized girl clinging to her like a drowning whelp to a piece of wood in a storm.

He was bouncing up and down on the balls of his heels, unable to stay still as he waved his arms restlessly. Throwing a furtive glance up ahead to where the others were disappearing to, he looked back over his shoulder at the two girls, Yuna gently leading and coaxing Rikku forward, taking each step slowly and with painstaking patience.

There had to be some way to get this to go faster, Tidus mused anxiously, getting worked up over the delays. Guadosalam had been just plain creepy, and the things that had transpired there he _did not_ want to have to think about again for a _loooong_ time.

And that was when it hit him—or something hit him. He wasn't sure.

He ran back to the two girls, a grin on his lips.

"Come on, Rikku! Look, watch me! It's not that bad! It can't be that bad!"

With a confident and determined expression on his face, the Blitzer bolted down the tunnel, Yuna reaching out a hand after him in shock. "Tidus?" she cried out in warning and bewilderment, chasing after him with Rikku's hand gripped tightly—the other girl giving in in her shock.

"Tidus no! You're going to get hurt!" Rikku wailed fearfully, as the two girls bolted to the large opening of the cavernous mouth of the tunnel, the others all standing just out of reach of the rain, waiting for the two to catch up.

But Tidus had no such qualms, running past them and out into the thunderous downpour, opening his arms wide and turning around with a grin, several yards out into the rumbling, ever storming Plains.

"See! It's not so bad!"

And then there was a blistering flash, blinding the onlookers for a swift moment, before the bolt fated to establish a lingering relationship with the Blitzer hit, sending the overconfident blonde flying backwards, until he at last stopped, face flat in ashen, muddied dirt.

"Tidus!" a number of them called out, Rikku shrieking as they all rushed forward.

It didn't take them that long to gather him beneath a lightning tower, and when Tidus finally came to, it was with a groan and outcry of pain, wincing even through the magenta glow of the Regen that'd been cast over him, Yuna kneeling not far from his side, murmuring a gentle Prayer over him. At the sound of his stirring, however, Yuna broke from her dutiful healing with a surprised, relieved, "Oh!"

Instantly a number of faces were gathering 'round him, and he waved them off—or tried to, wincing at the pain that shot through his arm from the brash movement. "Ugh," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut to ward off the headache that was coming on full blast. "That was not smart."

From off to the side, he heard a fervent giggle burst out, before its owner tried to suppress it to little avail. Turning his head, he caught sight of Rikku, who seemed just as jittery as before, but this time with both hands clamped tightly over her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

He raised his eyebrows—or well… what was left of them, at her. Which only made her burst further into laughter.

"You look so FUNNY!" she burst out at last, no longer attempting to conceal her giggle fit. "Toasty!" she added on, laughing so hard now that she gripped her stomach where she crouched and fell over into the dirt.

The others all soon joined in, even Yuna laughing in her quiet, unabashed way at his side.

Tidus rolls his eyes.

"Gee thanks guys for your concern."

"I told you, didn't I!"

"Not that I'd come out crispy!"

Another burst of laughter broke out, and eventually, all of them were caught there, laughing helplessly in the rain.

- - - - - - -

**Author's Note:** I forgot how much FUN it is to write fics for FFX! =D I'm so going to try to keep doing this. ;D Because I have a ton of more light-hearted and meaningful ideas! X3 Welcome me back, guys? =D Hopefully, this time I'll stick around for a lot longer. :3 Okay? *Hugs and cookies for all!*


	12. Sunlight

**12.**

**Title:** Sunlight

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 472

**Warning(s):** None

**Summary:** They were tired, and it was a long journey.

**Dedication:** To my best friend Alice, because we didn't get a chance to spend time with each other last night like we had planned.

**A/N:** Wow. o= I'm actually WRITING these! Cookies for all! For I am in a GREAT mood! =D

- - - - - - -

Maybe it had been because of how long and miserable the countless days had been. Eventually, the tough, slow travel through the Thunder Plains and then Macalania began to seep into us all.

We were tired.

I can't say how long we spent exactly going from one place to the other. In the Thunder Plains, we must have endured weeks. Not only of constant traveling, but of training and gathering materials that we somehow knew we would need for the future fights ahead of us.

But we were miserable.

Endless rain, day and night—never being able to tell what hour it is because it's always, always the same darkness. Always cloudy and storming, drenching us not just through our clothes, but right down to the bones.

More than half of us got sick during the time we were there.

It darkened our spirits considerably. The fiends we encountered too were testier than the ones before. Magic was normally the way to go, and more than a handful of them were quite resilient to physical attacks from all of us besides Auron's hefty blades.

Ixion was our saving grace, but that didn't change much when we reached the end of the plains.

From ceaseless noise and violence, we departed and came upon an eerie world of darkness. Everything was quiet, quiet, quiet. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, nothing whispered of life.

Macalania was a completely different trial, and one through which we fumbled and bumbled our way loudly until we felt we would go _mad_ if we didn't hear another sound other than our own ugly, loud noises.

We lost track of time.

We could have been in there for only a day, perhaps a week. Maybe a year. It was that kind of place. You never knew which way to go, if you were going in circles or not, and how much farther it would be until those endless, thick and heavy-feeling woods would end.

But… one day…

We finally broke through.

"Sunlight!"

Yuna was not the only one to bear witness to our delight, and relief. More than a few of us rushed forward, smiles spilling over our lips, muscles aching for that feeling! That freedom! We ran, we walked, we moved—we broke out!—into the sunlight!

I remember closing my eyes, as I stood in full view of the uninhibited sun—just soaking it all in, feeling all those miserable weeks of bone-drenching rain and darkness being completely drained from me. And in its place, the warm—heart and body and _soul _warming—sunlight rose in my skin, and I—

A sudden thump made me drag open my eyes, and I blinked to see Yuna flat on her back on that grassy knoll overlooking the Calm Lands.

I remember I smiled. And I thought, Yuna had the best idea.


	13. Home

**13.**

**Title:** Home

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** None

**Word Count:** 727

**Warning(s):** No spoilers~

**Summary:** Tidus remembers his last Blitzball game… in Zanarkand.

**Dedication:** To my family, because no matter how many times I come and go… no matter who comes over to stay, and the countless times I have to give up my bed, my room, my time to them… I'm still glad… to be home.

**A/N:** I guess I was feeling a little sentimental. I had an idea of doing a fic with Tidus playing Blitzball for a long time, but it started out as one thing, and then turned into another. Personally, I love how this one came out, so it's alright that my plans at the beginning of this fic changed by the time I got to the end. I hope you all enjoy it just as well~

- - - - - - -

It was deafening, the roar from every which end, so full and consuming, I couldn't hear anything else. My body trembled with anticipation, the crowds surged to their feet even in their seats—though we hadn't yet begun! The waters raged, crashing downwards and breaking in brilliant fans that glittered from the thousands of lights from the people, flashing and glimmering through the faux falls, like a dream that would so soon come true. You could taste it on your lips.

Breaking the stillness, the springiness to my steps concealed barely by the brilliant smile I threw out to the fans, all come here to see if the champ could uphold his reign in the underwater battlefield, some with the hopes of defeat and a newfound victor to uplift still crying strong their excitement, allegiance for the moment forgotten. It was a moment of fulfillment I couldn't get anywhere else. Not home, not in the clubs and parties, no where in Zanarkand was there a freedom like I felt right now.

It is, hands down, the best feeling I've ever had, standing there right before the plunge, hearing the world over screaming for my glory. Now, I'm not just saying this because of some superficial love of self, though that was a part of it once upon a time—and hey, let me be honest, it still kind of is. But that plunge, that dive into brisk, all-encompassing waters, right before I go in—I forget all the crowds, I shut out all thoughts of my father before me and his irrepressible victories over me, and I…

Falling into the arms of that sphere, for a moment, I'm flying. Like a bird of prey, diving from off the cliffs into a world all my own, a skyland I alone rule, where all challengers are crushed and sent running home after a thoroughly exhausting and futile battle, because I wa—I _am_—the best.

No one can beat me down, cause I'm telling you, I _won't_ stay there! I wasn't the rebound kid, heck no! I was the one you couldn't dare think for a second you had down after a blow, cause it's in that moment that I'd usurp you, take you by surprise, immobilize you and steal the prize—a perfect shot! A unanimous crowd! The raging sea would be deafened to hear them roar! For me. For _me_ they screamed their hearts out. For me they danced in their seats and sang songs of eminent victory, waved flags and twirled balls and other memorabilia they would soon once more overwhelm me with just to get _my_ signature scrawled confidently over.

The lights would flash vehemently, in a blinding display of support and exuberant declaration. Rainbows would burst into life, fading when fans forgot to wave for their tense concentration on the game, only to break out amongst the crowds once more as a goal was made, an amazing move played out flawlessly, another save! The game was like the birth of the world all over again, the colors and splashes of brilliance never-ending in their fevered presence. More and more, all over and in thicker clusters, they shone brighter, brighter, waving faster, explosions and fireworks all their own, assaulting the brain and rendering it immobile for the beauteous magnificence of the crowds in one accord.

Standing here now, I can still see them… the lights dancing slowly now, drifting along currents of air I could see only because of how they swam, gently flowing in the air over the dark, silent waters of a Zanarkand more still than I could ever remember it being. Mine. As soft and distant as it seemed now, the endless streams of lights gliding through the air in a timeless wave, so much like the ones I could remember, just… slowed down, made more beautiful, elegant… and sad. Forever, it looked like it had been flowing like this, as though that game—my last game—had been perpetually frozen in time, and all that was left of it were these quiet waves of lights, that were the souls, the voiceless support of the people I had left behind, so long ago, yet not so long.

But even now, though Spira's Zanarkand looked nothing like mine… I could still see home, in those unending lights.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go."


	14. No Inhibitions

**14.**

**Title:** No Inhibitions

**Rating:** PG – One teeny, tiny cuss.

**Pairing:** Tidus and Yuna, Wakka and Lulu

**Word Count:** 1,056

**Warning(s):** If you look really hard, there's one spoiler for Bikanel/Home.

**Summary:** Tidus hated seeing Yuna dance.

**Dedication:** To my sister, Christine. I'm sorry you couldn't go bead shopping today. :C

**A/N:** MAH GOSH. I WENTS OVAR MAH WORD LIMIT. Typically I always think of drabbles at 1,000 words or less. This is the first time I went over that limit. STILL! I really like how this fic turned out. And I hope you all do too!

- - - - - - -

I was upset, the first time I saw her dance. I remember thinking, and I've thought it still, to this very day, just how _sad_ it was. What were my exact words then, voiced only in mind or aloud?

_I never wanted to see her dance again._

The various places we've gone through now, in our travels on the inevitable road to Zanarkand—one they said was nothing like my own—they only assured me that I could not stand to see her dance like that again. It was too painful, too… too _wrong_. To make someone suffer like that, carry the burdens of the _entire world_ on their shoulders.

Shiva, she was _just_ a young girl! Barely old enough to be dating—though I seriously shouldn't be one to talk on that front—let alone going out there to risk her _life_ for these people!

They were grateful enough, I suppose. But that doesn't change the fact that the sadness that permeates her life is like a curse. What kind of twisted world is Spira, that it makes someone so gentle fight so hard? And not for anything that she would want. For _them_, she fights. For _them_, she struggles. For them, she would perish.

Every time I think of how things work in this world, this Spira of theirs, I can't restrain the scowl from coming across my face, turning the mood sour, and making the others poke fun at me. Or chastise me for being upset when it was already so hard to be 'happy' all the time.

And yeah, we had our light-hearted and downright hilarious moments. But still. I didn't want to sit around pretending to be happy. And… damn. How Yuna does it, I don't think I'll ever know. Sacrificing herself like she does… on a daily—heck, even _hourly_ basis—for strangers! Total strangers!

An almost aggravated sigh escaped my lips at last and before I knew just what I was doing, I'd reached out and tugged Yuna away from her conversation with Kimahri. And none too gently, I might add. She practically stumbled and tripped right to the ground from my sudden pull, her previously smiling face turned to one of big, surprised eyes and a startled exclamation. The way she looked up at me was the way I expected an innocent puppy might look at someone when they had shocked them unnecessarily when all it'd been doing was dozing off or snuffling at the floor.

I groaned aloud and threw my head back. "Can you just, _not_ look at me like that for a second?" I whined, much like a pup myself, loathe I was to admit it.

"Ah, uhmm," she ineptly pronounced, blinking rapidly at me, not quite sure what to make of my actions or my comment. "Okay?" she eventually decided, though the hesitance and bewilderment in her voice permeated any decisiveness she _might_ have meant to have in the statement.

Okay, so conversation was not the _best_ medium we could have chosen to get the message across to one another. In fact, more often than not, I was downright inept when it came to it. Sure, I spoke my mind, but I blundered my way through most of the time, to be perfectly honest.

Lulu still never lets me live that down.

"Listen, I'm tired of the way you're always acting," I stated, looking at her sternly. Probably more sternly than I'd meant, because the wide-eyed look of shock on her face and mingled hurt was _soooooo_ not what I had meant!

I sighed and slapped a hand over my face, squeezing my eyes shut. This had all seemed so much easier in my mind.

"No, listen, that's not what I meant! Agh! Forget what I said! Just, here!"

Before either of us knew quite what was going on, I had taken up her hands in mine and stepped back, a bounce to my steps, the motions a little awkward at first but coming to me quickly once I started. I was trying to find and set a beat, to no music, but I was going for it anyway. We didn't need music to dance. I was certain of this.

"Wh-what are you trying to do?" Yuna asked, gazing at me in confusion as I moved my hips and legs in an easy but upbeat manner.

"Trying to get you to dance with me," I managed, a crooked smile covering my hesitance and the thoughts of how foolish I must have looked. Heck, Kimahri was already staring at me with a look that decisively proclaimed how much of a rude idiot I was. But I tried nevertheless. "I want you to learn how to dance like we do back home. In Zanarkand."

She flushed and stared, but—I realized delightedly—did not try to pull away. "But there's no music, Tidus," she shyly professed, as though embarrassed to tell me.

"We don't need it! Come on, just think of happy beat and follow me. Here, let me help." And swiftly I had squeezed her hand and placed another on her waist, stepping away, pulling her with me. It was chaotic and Yuna seemed a little insecure about giving in at first, but soon those steps we took together became a little more uppity, and when I went out on a limb and went back to just moving my body, not to any floor dancing like I'm sure Spira only knew, but to the good beats of the nightlife and parties—not the really rowdy or vulgar ones either—she stumbled her way through after me.

I think at some point I realized that the others, when they'd gotten through staring at us, decided that whatever we had going on was definitely a good way to end the evening under the evening sky of the Calm Lands. In a flash I saw Lulu and Wakka sweep by us as we went, laughing. And brushing up against us with a devious light in her eyes was Rikku, so we expanded our private circle and let her join with us. In the light away from the fire we'd made sat Auron watching with amusement, and Kimahri standing not far from his side, gazing at us with a smile.

We didn't need music when we had each other.


End file.
